Talk to Your Babies

March 25, 2010

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Northwestern University researchers have found that even before infants begin to speak, words play an important role in their cognition. For three-month-old infants, words influence performance in a cognitive task in a way that goes beyond the influence of other kinds of sounds, including musical tones. The research by Alissa Ferry, Susan Hespos and Sandra Waxman in the university's psychology department will appear in the March/April edition of the journal Child Development.
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SourceNorthwestern University

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2017, its budget is $7.5 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 48,000 competitive proposals for funding and makes about 12,000 new funding awards.